I'm pretty sure that the difference in prices between Macs in the US and in Europe is down to our VAT which makes everything cost 20% more here. If you flew out to the USA and bought one, you'd still be liable for that 20% VAT if customs found it on the way in. Plus any fine for tax evasion.

 

That's not true at all! Russia's economy is not on the verge of collapse; it has natural resources and trades with other partners such as China (gas contract), BRICS countries, Africa, and Asia. Russia's real gross domestic product (GDP) increased by around 3.1 percent in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

The truth is, America was on the verge of collapse. The US is the most indebted country in the world, and Trump and his administration have now taken drastic measures to stop wasteful spending and corruption. They must save money or they will be insolvent. America is now focusing on itself. America is no longer number 1 – we now have a multipolar world.

Those who adapt survive; those who don't adapt, like Europe, perish. The US national debt is projected to reach approximately $35.3 trillion by 2024. The United States has the highest national debt in the world in absolute terms. While the US is also by far the world's largest economy, the level of national debt already exceeds its economic output.

 

How about making your own computer?

 

I live in the Garden of Eden and we did not get those tarrifZ

Zealocy is so great lolz

 

iPhone at a price... "fire": How much will they cost with Trump tariffs - Apple's dilemma

Photo: Unsplash


US President Donald Trump this week imposed sweeping tariffs on dozens of countries , including major US trading partners such as the European Union (20%), China (20% + 34%) and India (26%). The impact of the tariffs is expected to be particularly felt in the technology sector, with iPhones at risk of becoming significantly more expensive.

China's resounding response to Trump: Announced 34% tariffs on all American products
The tariffs, announced on Wednesday, impose a minimum 10% charge on most countries that export products to the US , while for key trading allies they include even higher duties.

Concern among Big Tech companies
The market reaction was immediate, with shares of technology giants plummeting in trading.
According to CNBC, Meta and Nvidia saw their shares fall by 5%, while Apple and Amazon lost about 6%.

The Financial Times reported that Apple , Amazon , Nvidia and Meta all fell more than 7%, with Apple losing more than $300 billion in market capitalization.

Trade war: The countries that Trump did not "touch" with the new tariffs
Apple shares closed down 9.3% on Thursday, marking their worst day since March 2020.

Semiconductor and personal computer companies, such as Micron , HP and Dell , posted double-digit losses.

Apple's dilemma and iPhone prices
Experts estimate that consumer products, such as iPhones, will be among those hit hardest. Although Apple has factories in Vietnam (46% tariff) and India (26% tariff) to manufacture iPhones, China (54% tariff) remains the country with the highest production, whose products end up in the US.

"If Apple passes the cost on to consumers, the price of its devices could increase by 30% to 40% ," analysts said on Thursday.

China , where the majority of iPhones are manufactured, has been hit with tariffs of 54%, creating a critical dilemma for Apple.

The company will have to either absorb the extra cost or pass it on to its customers , Reuters reports.

Angelo Zino, an analyst at CFRA Research, estimated that Apple will be unlikely to pass on more than 5% to 10% of the cost to consumers . “We expect Apple to delay any major price increases until the fall, when the iPhone 17 is released, as that is how it typically manages planned increases . ”

The company sells over 220 million iPhones annually , with the main markets being the US, China and Europe.


Photo: Unsplash
The basic version of the iPhone 16 was launched in the US with a starting price of $799 , but its price could skyrocket to $1,142 , according to estimates from Rosenblatt Securities, which predicts a cost increase of up to 43%.

Correspondingly, the iPhone 16 Pro Max , which sells for $1,599 , could reach $2,300 .

The iPhone 16e , which was released in February as a more affordable option for Apple's new artificial intelligence features, starts at $599 . With a 43% increase, its price could reach $856 .

According to Neil Shah, co-founder of Counterpoint Research, Apple will need to raise its prices by at least 30% on average to offset the new tariffs.

Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese imports during his first term, forcing American companies to move production back to the U.S. or to neighboring countries like Mexico. However, Apple secured exemptions for several of its products at the time. This time, no exemptions have been granted .

With information from: Reuters, Wired, Tech Policy

 

Im not a mod, but just a reminder to not dive too far into politics, and if we do, lets keep it civil. its pretty much impossible to not dive into politics given the subject of this thread, but yah. If you are a mod, i think this thread is important to leave up, as this stuff can directly effect us consumers of audio goods etc. As long as it doesnt become too unhinged, which will be a miracle.

 

Yes, and understood... and sincere and honest apologies to the mods (@omiac ) on my part for saying anything.

Unfortunately we are dealing with a situation that effects us all in which it is hard to subtract politics/policy or certain decisions from by definitional nature... but sense and civility is key. And important part of decorum on the site.

 

The costs once settled, none of us can foresee as yet, so it is still speculation. Until then even with some minor changes already, I think we have to compare now with down the track.
Hopefully, none of us will be in a position where we can no longer afford to upgrade our machines or software anymore.

 

One thing you can count on though, is once companies are provided with a built-in excuse to raise prices on things; they will not squander the opportunity to do so. Companies are already marking things with higher prices, even though that inventory was received before this got going.
It isn't a conspiratorial thing, but a function of most ERP database systems. They have an items master list and a price file. They update them and it forces those values to every changed item, no matter when they were received.

When people notice "all the prices went up overnight", it's because they do.

 

Hey tariffs...your snare sucks.

 

Nothing remotely illogical about any of that. It will settle at some point. Hopefully, not at a cost that is out of too many people's reach.

 

Don't panic! For years, people in Brazil lived with 90%+ taxes on imports. And despite no one caring a damn about it, Brazilians still thrive. You got this, Europe!

 

I stopped caring after my country raised taxes to 25,5 %.
And now with these tariffs I stopped ordering from Amazon and ebay and started using Temu for cheap stuff.. such life..

 

Well @Legotron, your Temu is also affected!

104 percent tariffs against China come into force (9 April 2024).

Originally, Trump wanted to impose a 30 percent tariff on goods with a value of less than 800 dollars (around 724 euros) from May 2. Previously, such goods were exempt from tariffs. Thanks to this rule, Chinese online retailers such as Temu and Shein delivered their products to the USA on a large scale.

 

So, there's going to be a run on the remaining Apple products that they've stockpiled in America and the prices are going to skyrocket but once the stockpile is sold, if the tariffs remain at over 100%, then Apple is stuffed. What a shame...

 

So far, Apple users have benefited from low labor wages in low-wage countries like China, India, Vietnam, and Thailand! If Western labor wages had been used as a basis, Apples would be much more expensive. Apple even announced production in the US, but that hasn't happened yet. Who knows, maybe they'll build a factory in the US soon. The US has 340 million inhabitants.

The Chinese plan to become the new global trading power by 2050. Ebay and the used market will probably see a sharp rise now.

 

If these tariffs aren't a no-brainer reason for any layman (i.e. someone who doesn't have more money than sense) to switch from Apple to Windows, then I have no idea what is?! This will likely result in Apple stuff being way more expensive globally, be it due to US company, due to Apple needing to import components from the East, or due to Apple needing to export part manufacturing to other countries and so on. It seems like Apple products will likely see at least a 20-25% bump in price globally I suspect, at least for the short term.